20 But wilt thou know. We must understand the state of the question, for the dispute here is not respecting the cause of justification, but only
what avails a profession of faith without works, and what opinion we are to form of it. Absurdly then do they act who strive
to prove by this passage that
man is justified by works, because James meant no such thing, for the proofs which he subjoins refer to this declaration,
that no faith, or only a dead faith, is without works. No one will ever understand what is said, nor judge wisely of words,
except he who keeps in view the design of the writer.

21 Was not Abraham. The Sophists lay hold on the word justified, and then they cry out as being victorious, that justification is partly by works. But we ought to seek out a right interpretation
according to the general drift of the whole passage. We
have already said that James does not speak here of the cause of justification, or of the manner how men obtain righteousness,
and this is plain to every one; but that his object was only to shew that good works are always connected with faith; and,
therefore, since he declares that Abraham was justified by works, he is speaking of the proof he gave of his justification.

When, therefore, the Sophists set up James against Paul, they go astray through the ambiguous meaning of a term. When Paul
says that we are justified by faith, he means no other thing than that by faith we are counted righteous before God. But James
has quite another thing in view, even to shew that he who professes that he has faith, must prove the reality of his faith
by his works. Doubtless James did not mean to teach us here the
ground on which our hope of salvation ought to rest; and it is this alone that Paul dwells upon.
118118 It is justly observed by Scott, that there is the same difficulty in reconciling James with himself as with Paul. And this difficulty at once vanishes,
when we take a view of the whole passage, and not confine ourselves to single expressions.

That we may not then fall into that false reasoning which has deceived the Sophists, we must take notice of the two fold meaning,
of the word justified. Paul means by it the gratuitous imputation of righteousness before the tribunal of God; and James, the manifestation of
righteousness by the conduct, and that before men, as
we may gather from the preceding words, “Shew to me thy faith,” etc. In this sense we fully allow that man is justified
by works, as when any one says that a man is enriched by the purchase of a large and valuable chest, because his riches, before
hid, shut up in a chest, were thus made known.

22 By works was faith made perfect119119 The previous sentence is hardly intelligible in our version or in Calvin’s. “Seest thou how faith wrought (co-operated, by C.) with his works?” The verb is συνεργέω, which means properly to work together, to co-operate; and
it means also, as the effect of co-operating, to aid, to help. “Seest thou how faith aided him in his works?” Schleusner gives this paraphrase, “Thou sees that Abraham was aided by his faith to do his remarkable works.” Beza’s version is, “Thou seest that faith was the assistant (administer) of his works.” Some give the idea of combining to
co-operating, “Thou seest that faith co-operated with his works,” that is, in justification. It has been said, that
if this combination had been intended, it ought to have been said that works co-operated with his faith, as faith, according
to the testimony of scripture and the nature of things, is the primary and the principal thing, and as there can be no good
works without faith. But the first explanation is the most consonant with the words and with the drift of the passage.
By this he again shews, that the question here is not respecting the cause of our salvation, but whether works necessarily
accompany faith; for in this sense it is said to have been perfected by works, because it was not idle. It is said to have
been perfected by works, not because it received thence its own perfection, but because it was thus proved to be true. For
the futile distinction which the Sophists draw from these words, between formed and unformed faith,
needs no labored refutation; for the faith of Abram was formed and therefore perfected before he sacrificed his son. And
this work was not as it were the finishing, or last work. Formerly things afterwards followed by which Abraham proved the
increase of his faith. Hence this was not the perfection of his faith, nor did it then for the first time put on its form.
James then understood no other thing, than that the integrity of his faith then appeared, because it brought forth that remarkable
fruit of obedience.

23 And the Scripture was fulfilled. They who seek to prove from this passage of James that the works of Abraham were imputed for righteousness, must necessarily
confess that Scripture is perverted by him; for however they may turn and twist, they can never make the effect to be its
own cause. The
passage is quoted from Moses. (Genesis 15:6.) The imputation of righteousness which Moses mentions, preceded more than thirty years the work by which they would have
Abraham to have been justified. Since faith was imputed to Abraham fifteen years before the birth of Isaac, this could not
surely have been done through the work of sacrificing him. I consider that all those are bound
fast by an indissoluble knot, who imagine that righteousness was imputed to Abraham before God, because he sacrificed
his son Isaac, who was not yet born when the Holy Spirit declared that Abraham was justified. It hence necessarily follows
that something posterior is pointed out here.

Why then does James say that it was fulfilled? Even because he intended to shew what sort of faith that was which justified
Abraham; that is, that it was not idle or evanescent, but rendered him obedient to God, as also we find in Hebrews 11:8. The conclusion, which is immediately added, as it depends on this, has no other meaning. Man is not
justified by faith alone, that is, by a bare and empty knowledge of God; he is justified by works, that is, his righteousness
is known and proved by its fruits.

25 Likewise also was not Rahab. It seems strange that he connected together those who were so unlike. Why did he not rather choose some one from so large
a number of illustrious fathers, and join him to Abraham? Why did he prefer a harlot to all others? he designedly put together
two persons so
different in their character, in order more clearly to shew, that no one, whatever may have been his or her condition,
nation, or class in society, has ever been counted righteous without good works. He had named the patriarch, by far the most
eminent of all; he now includes under the person of a harlot, all those who, being aliens, were joined to the Church. Whosoever,
then, seeks to be counted righteous, though he may even be among the lowest, must yet shew that he is such by good
works.

James, according to his manner of speaking, declares that Rahab was justified by works; and the Sophists hence conclude that
we obtain righteousness by the merits of works. But we deny that the dispute here is concerning the mode of obtaining righteousness.
We, indeed, allow that good works are required for righteousness; we only take away from them the power of conferring righteousness,
because they cannot stand before the tribunal of
God.
120120 The last verse is left unnoticed, —James 2:26 “For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works (or, having no works) is dead.” The meaning is not, that works are to faith what the spirit is to the body, for that would make works to be the life of faith,
the reverse of the fact; but the meaning is, that faith having no works is like a dead carcass without life.

118 It is justly observed by Scott, that there is the same difficulty in reconciling James with himself as with Paul. And this difficulty at once vanishes,
when we take a view of the whole passage, and not confine ourselves to single expressions.

119 The previous sentence is hardly intelligible in our version or in Calvin’s. “Seest thou how faith wrought (co-operated, by C.) with his works?” The verb is συνεργέω, which means properly to work together, to co-operate; and
it means also, as the effect of co-operating, to aid, to help. “Seest thou how faith aided him in his works?” Schleusner gives this paraphrase, “Thou sees that Abraham was aided by his faith to do his remarkable works.” Beza’s version is, “Thou seest that faith was the assistant (administer) of his works.” Some give the idea of combining to
co-operating, “Thou seest that faith co-operated with his works,” that is, in justification. It has been said, that
if this combination had been intended, it ought to have been said that works co-operated with his faith, as faith, according
to the testimony of scripture and the nature of things, is the primary and the principal thing, and as there can be no good
works without faith. But the first explanation is the most consonant with the words and with the drift of the passage.

120 The last verse is left unnoticed, —James 2:26 “For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works (or, having no works) is dead.” The meaning is not, that works are to faith what the spirit is to the body, for that would make works to be the life of faith,
the reverse of the fact; but the meaning is, that faith having no works is like a dead carcass without life.